Quite understandably, most Oak Park residents, including me, never bother to read the village’s Annual Police Report. Perhaps due to smoke-related cabin fever this year I read the report.
I was aware the Flock contract for license-plate-reader cameras had been cancelled and I felt less safe as a result. However, I did not know the details of how well Flock kept us safe. Here are a few examples, according to the report: In 2024, Flock alerted police to 1,728 stolen vehicles, 81 missing persons, 33 violent offenders, a reckless firearm discharge on Greenfield, armed robberies on both Harvey and Austin, and led to the capture of a suspect in a stolen motor vehicle fleeing a homicide.
I appreciate some villagers’ and some trustees’ concerns over maintaining privacy, especially for our most vulnerable residents. But surely, there are ways to maintain appropriate privacy and keep Flock on the job supporting our safety. Trustees, there was no need to throw the baby out with the bath water.
I hope our village leaders reconsider the Flock contract in the near future. If we don’t have a safe Oak Park, we won’t have any Oak Park.
Rhoda Bernstein
Oak Park